Dwarf
Physiology Short standing but tall in pride, the Dwarves are one of the more famed and proud races in modern times. They usually range from 3 and a half to 5 feet tall, the tallest recorded dwarf being 5’ 2”. Females are generally on the shorter, stockier end while male dwarves are taller and leaner (For a dwarf, which isn’t very much). Often times they’re fairly heavily built and sturdy, and the most stubborn creatures outside of trolls. Dwarves tend to live to about 150 years old, though they usually die to some accident before then, more often than not brought on by their own stubbornness. Their hair color ranges from ginger to black, blonde being a rare occurrence. Traditionally, male dwarves have large beards while females keep them short if present at all, sometimes making it difficult to tell males and females apart. Often times their skin is paler due to a historic lack of exposure to sunlight. Their eyes are a bit more large compared to humans, though set farther into their skulls and giving a beady appearance, and they are adept at seeing in low light. It’s not as extreme as creatures to who live in the darkness their entire lives, sure, but it’s noticeable. They are also fairly sturdy to both cold and heat, and natural metalworkers. History Dwarves originate from the mountains of the east coast of North America, or other mountainous regions such as Chile. It’s believed they originated from the Ural mountains in modern Russia and traveled to other places much like humans and other races did. The Ural dwarves are still around today, but very isolated, archaic, and not friendly to outsiders in the slightest. Ninety percent of dwarves live in their traditional homes in the mountains with their own species, holding a rather ethnocentric pride. The most outgoing group is the North-Eastern dwarves, but even that is a stretch. Since the earliest recorded entry of dwarves, they’ve been isolated and borderline hermits. They’ve historically had a lot of conflict with goblins who also live underground, and often times orcs who attempted to plunder their holds with very little success, given that dwarven holds are entirely self sustaining by design through the growth of mushrooms like ‘plump helmets’, brewing of beer, and use of underground streams and resources. They rarely took part in wars between ground dwelling species, only when a threat is so great that even they would not be able to withstand it do they take arms and leave their holds to fight. Religion Dwarven religion is entirely independent from most old faiths of the time due to their isolation. The dwarves were created when a goddess known as Sepmis grew angry with humans over their use of fire to destroy rather than create through smithing, and cut their legs off at the thigh, reducing their height and effectively crippling humanity. The god of the Smith, Zuqrus took pity on humanity, and created them new feet out of stone from the rock of the mountains. Zuqrus then taught the dwarves how to use fire to forge and refine metals, leading to the dwarves we know today. Today, dwarves worship Zuqrus, the God of the Smith, primarily. They are not, however, monotheistic. They also follow Sepmis (despite the legend involving their distinct lack of legs), Goddess of the Underground Waves. Inemis, God of the Dark Caverns, and Iheia, God of the Underground Harvest. They show respect for the Gods through various ways. Prayers, services, and sometimes sacrifices of material goods via fire. They do have numerous minor gods, and every hold has a slightly different take on their beliefs. Some despise Sepmis, and only send prayers to her to stop her from flooding their home. Some do not recognize Inemis as a true god and rather a trickster, and so on. As a whole, however, all religious dwarves respect Zuqrus. Generally, Sepmis is pictured as a very neutral Goddess. She can either bless dwarves with fresh water, or curse them by flooding. Inemis is depicted as evil and mysterious, concealing treasures in caves deep below the earth. There are dwarves who dedicate their lives to appeasing Inemis in the hopes he’ll reveal a trove of hidden gold. Iheia is, self explanatory. She’s a graceful, generous goddess who blesses the dwarves with a plentiful harvest (until they anger her). Dwarves may use expressions such as 'By Zuqrus' hammer!' or 'By the deception of Inemis!', for example, relating to the God or Goddesses' history. Traditional Society Dwarf society is loosely hierarchical with little democracy. However, this works just fine with them in most cases. There are few defined ‘leaders’ and bureaucrats minus their king save for the supervisor. Given the comparatively small size of their community (The largest Dwarven Hold had only about 200,00 dwarves at the peak of its life), dwarves often share what they don’t need with others. There is currency, but even the most impoverished of dwarves still get food, treatment, and a chance to work. The king’s word in the Dwarven Hold is usually final. They’re a well respected elder that is elected via a popular vote near the end of the lifespan of the previous king. More often than not, it’s usually that king’s child. There has only been one recorded ‘revolt’ against a king, and really that was just a march of disgruntled miners who were being overworked. The king stepped down and let his successor take over, and that was the end of it. The holds are organized into ‘clans’. The clans are more of an alliance than anything. Conflict inside of clans are common, yet due to geographical limitations conflict between clans are unheard of. The only clan to elect a higher ruler is the Norest clan, and even that was tentative and disliked. There are four major clans of dwarves. The Norest Clan, located near the east coast, the Dwalgan, located in South America near Chile, the Drour, located in modern day Russia in the Ural mountains, and finally the Garnan in the Tibet mountains, the largest of all of them. Traditions Dwarves have many unique traditions, as with most other races. They hold to these traditions much tighter due to their rather nature. Most dwarves live in holds, and adhere to traditions just as they have since they were created. Dwarves often marry a single woman and stay with them their entire lives, even if they absolutely hate one another. There is an option for a divorce, but once again, they’re just too stubborn and it’s considered a social taboo to divorce. Dwarves have a strange obsession with their own beards. They often decorate them with trinkets, keep them clean and let them grow. If they get too long and they end up stepping on them, they braid or tie them up a little bit. Upon marriage, dwarves shave their beards off entirely to signify a new beginning. That is the only time they’ll do it. Females usually don’t grow their beards out period, unless they’ve chosen to serve in the military or simply wish to. The most disgraceful thing that could to done to a dwarf is cut their beard off, as that usually results in a pretty violent death for the cutter. If a dwarf is banished from their home, often times they get their beard cut off too. In extreme cases, the stubs are burned to prevent regrowth. This is, however, very rare. Dwarves are naturally skilled blacksmiths, and blacksmithing is a well respected trade, as its even incorporated into their religious beliefs. The forge and metalworking is a blessing in their eyes, and should not be disrespected. Throwing trash or other objects into a forge usually results in a pretty nasty punishment such as whipping or beating. Usually, smiths hold a higher footing in society due to their trade because of this deep respect for the forge and the earth in general. Modern Dwarves 75-80% of dwarves live in Dwarven Holds still. A majority of the ones who aren’t are only out of their holds for short spans on business for their home. Dwarves who are born on the surface or choose to leave their holds are often looked down on by most other dwarves. Dwarves pride themselves in their metalwork, and that’s often where they make their skills useful. Working in forges, factories, and the likes (More often they simply supervise factories rather than actually work on the floor). A lot of dwarves on the surface are simply making money to send back to their home, or making a living on their own. More often the former rather than the latter. Usually they reside in major cities, rarely in suburb areas. They are horribly uncommon, but you’re unlikely to meet one in a rural area.